IC-APL Members Report Outstanding Progress at EHA Meeting
Nancy Berliner, MD
Dr. Berliner is Chief of Hematology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also Vice President of ASH.
Members of the International Consortium on Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (IC-APL) gathered in Vienna prior to the 2007 European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting to present an update on their progress. Initiated under the ASH umbrella in December 2004, the IC-APL was created to facilitate interactions between clinicians and researchers in developing countries, with the long-term goals of improving clinical care and creating the infrastructure for ongoing clinical trials and translational research in APL. APL was chosen as a model disease because of its prevalence in Latin America and the rapid progress that is being made in understanding its pathogenesis and in optimizing its therapy.
Representatives from the programs in Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay reported progress at the meeting. Treatment has started at two centers under the auspices of clinical guidelines outlining standard of APL care developed by a subcommittee of the IC-APL. Brazil reported treatment results on 23 patients, and Mexico reported on their first 10 patients. Uruguay, who joined the project in December 2006, reported progress toward a national IRB approval to allow the accrual to start at several health centers.
Both the clinical results and the progress toward an interactive infrastructure supporting future research were impressive. Clinical outcomes rival those in large clinical trials in developed countries, with a complete remission (CR) rate of 90 percent, with most patients in CR having evidence of molecular remission. (It is important to note that prior to starting treatment, all patients are diagnosed through sample collection to national reference laboratories where genetic studies for identifying the disease-specific markers are carried out according to well-established cytogenetic and molecular tests.)
Perhaps more impressive, the IC-APL has given rise to unprecedented cooperation between disparate centers in the respective countries, integrated through the active collaboration of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
All centers are actively using the Pediatric Oncology Network Database (POND) and the Cure4Kids programs for data management. Participants within each country and between countries have frequent teleconferences to troubleshoot problems and facilitate collaboration. The data manager from Uruguay has traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to be trained in these programs. Although supported partly by ASH and partly by a grant from the Veronesi Foundation, much of the activity is being funded from local and national sources within the participating countries.
Discussion of future efforts focused on clinical modifications addressing the high incidence of ATRA syndrome and practical concerns about sample acquisition for central testing of coagulation parameters, as well as potential collaborative clinical-translational trials being initiated independently by the various participants. In addition, several other countries are under consideration for inclusion in the IC-APL, and proposals from these countries will be discussed further at the December meeting prior to the ASH annual meeting.
The data presented at the meeting engendered great enthusiasm and energy. All of the leaders of the individual sites reported that the association with ASH in these activities has jumpstarted the high level of collaboration and interaction inherent in the IC-APL, and they are eager to continue to move things forward. The success of this venture is one in which the Society should take considerable pride: the IC-APL provides a model for promoting the excellence of hematology care and extending research.
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ASH Introduces a New Late-Breaking Abstract Deadline
Armand Keating, MD
Dr. Keating is Director, Division of Hematology, and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He also serves as Chief of Medical Services and Head of the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Hospital/Ontario Cancer Institute and holds the Epstein Chair in Cell Therapy and Transplantation. He is Secretary of ASH.
The ASH Program Committee recognizes that the results of some exciting research may not be available by the abstract submission deadline.
This year, ASH offers a new late-breaking abstract deadline of October 9, 2007, for abstracts that highlight novel and substantive studies of high impact. The late-breaking abstract submission program will be available October 1 through October 9 on the ASH Web site.
The selection process will be competitive; no more than six abstracts will be selected for oral presentation in a late-breaking abstracts simultaneous session on Tuesday morning of the ASH annual meeting. Late-breaking abstracts will not be eligible for oral presentation in the usual simultaneous sessions, nor will they be eligible for poster presentation.
Late-breaking abstracts will not be chosen from among the abstracts submitted by the general submission deadline, but all other ASH policies stated in the general submission Call for Abstracts still apply. Only the accepted late-breaking abstracts will be published online and in the On-Site Program Book.
Examples of suitable late-breaking abstracts might include the results of a practice-changing prospective clinical trial or the discovery of a mechanism underlying or characterizing a disease process (such as the JAK2 mutation in myeloproliferative disorders) that were not fully available by the general abstract submission deadline. The late-breaking abstract deadline is not intended to be merely an extension of the general submission deadline and will focus on capturing abstracts with ground-breaking and novel data that otherwise could not be presented at the annual meeting. Investigators with data that are substantive and novel and available earlier must submit their abstract by the general submission deadline.
The new deadline for late-breaking abstracts is being introduced on a pilot basis in 2007 and will be evaluated by the Program Committee to determine whether it will be continued. The goal of this new initiative will be met if the ASH meeting is enriched with outstanding studies that are completed after the general abstract submission deadline.
If you have questions about the late-breaking abstracts deadline, please contact Melissa Connolly, Annual Meeting Program Specialist, at mconnolly@hematology.org.
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ASH Members Can Now "Consult a Colleague" Online
With the goal of continuously improving and expanding member benefits, ASH has launched Consult a Colleague as a one-year pilot program. This new online service connects ASH members with colleagues who are knowledgeable in specific areas of hematology. Currently, members can submit a question in two topic areas — hemostasis/thrombosis or lymphoproliferative disorders — and will receive a response by phone or e-mail within two business days. ASH is already looking toward expanding this program to cover other areas of hematology if it proves to be popular. User feedback is encouraged to help the leadership determine whether this is a valuable tool.
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Mentor a Medical Student
ASH is currently looking for members to become research or career-development mentors to participants in the Minority Medical Student Award Program (MMSAP), an eight- to 12-week summer research experience for medical students.
While serving different roles, both groups of mentors are invaluable to a participant’s career and educational development. Research mentors are responsible for overseeing the participant’s work and progress during the summer experience. Career-development mentors provide more personal guidance for the participant and should be from a minority group and available to participate for the duration of the program.
For more information, please visit the MMSAP page on the ASH Web site, or contact Courtney Krier, Award Program Coordinator, at ckrier@hematology.org or 202-776-0544, ext. 4903.
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